our breeding standards

At Magnolia Leos, we are dedicated to breeding healthy and happy puppies. Our breeding program focuses on genetic health, temperament, and conformation to the breed standard. We take pride in our work and strive to produce puppies that will be a perfect fit for your family. We are committed to breeding only healthy dogs that meet the breed standard. Our breeding dogs undergo genetic testing to ensure they are free of any hereditary diseases. We carefully select breeding pairs to produce puppies that will be healthy and have desirable traits. 

All of our puppies are raised in our home with love and care. They are exposed to different sounds and experiences to help them develop into confident and well-socialized puppies. We provide all necessary vaccinations and deworming before sending them to their new homes. We value our puppy people and are always here to help. We provide ongoing support and guidance to our puppy owners to ensure a smooth transition for both the puppy and the family. We are always available to answer any questions or concerns.

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals was established in 1966 to “improve the health and well-being of companion animals through a reduction in the incidence of genetic disease.” The OFS databases are central to the organization’s objective of establishing control programs to lower the incidence of inherited disease. They serve all breeds of dogs and cats, and provide breeders a means to respond to the challenge of improving the genetic health of their breed through better breeding practices. The OFA databases are expanded as more tests become available.

There are eye diseases in the dog for which there is evidence of a genetic or heritable cause. The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists has listed ten of these diseases as automatic “fails” (this means the affected dog is ineligible to receive an eye certification) because of the significance of the condition to vision and/or the very strong evidence of heritability. After the painless examination of the dog’s eyes, the board certified veterinary ophthalmologist will complete the OFA Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER) form and indicate any specific disease(s) found.

Elbow dysplasia is a general term used to identify an inherited polygenic disease in the elbow. Three specific etiologies make up this disease and they can occur independently or in conjunction with one another. These etiologies include:

• Pathology involving the medial coronoid of the ulna (FCP)

• Osteochondritis of the medial humeral condyle in the elbow joint (OCD)

• Ununited anconeal process (UAP)

Studies have shown the inherited polygenic traits causing these etiologies are independent of one another. Clinical signs involve lameness which may remain subtle for long periods of time. No one can predict at what age lameness will occur in a dog due to a large number of genetic and environmental factors such as degree of severity of changes, rate of weight gain, amount of exercise, etc.. Subtle changes in gait may be characterized by excessive inward deviation of the paw which raises the outside of the paw so that it receives less weight and distributes more mechanical weight on the outside (lateral) aspect of the elbow joint away from the lesions located on the inside of the joint. Range of motion in the elbow is also decreased.

Canine Hip Dysplasia typically develops because of an abnormally developed hip joint, but can also be caused by cartilage damage from a traumatic fracture.With cartilage damage or a hip joint that isn’t formed properly, over time the existing cartilage will lose its thickness and elasticity. This breakdown of the cartilage will eventually result in pain with any joint movement.

No one can predict when or even if a dysplastic dog will start showing clinical signs of lameness due to pain. The severity of the disease can be affected by environmental factors, such as caloric intake or level of exercise. Screenings for hip dysplasia are performed by a veterinarian with x-rays sent to OFA for grading and certification.

With Hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland is not making enough of a hormone called thyroxine that controls metabolism (the process of turning food into fuel). Hypothyroidism causes a wide variety of symptoms, but is often suspected in dogs that have trouble with weight gain or obesity and suffer from hair loss and skin problems. The good news is this disease isn’t life-threatening, it’s easy to diagnose with a blood test, and it’s fairly easy and inexpensive to treat. Treatment is typically a thyroid supplement taken daily.

Leonberger Polyneuropathy (LPN) is a collective name for neuromuscular diseases affecting the Leonberger dogs. Polyneuropathy is a term used for simultaneous malfunction of many peripheral nerves throughout body and in literally translation it means “many abnormalities of the nervous system”. LPN has been characterized clinically, electrophysiologically, histologically and morphometrically. Two main symptoms of Leonberger Polyneuropathy (LPN) are laryngeal paralysis and rear weakness characterized also by lack of coordination. These two symptoms usually do not develop simultaneously. Laryngeal paralysis can be recognized by specific coughing after eating or drinking, or in a change of the dog’s bark which will appear like hoarse.

A neurological disorder, termed leukoencephalomyelopathy (LEMP) has been described in Leonberger dogs. LEMP is a recessively inherited neurodegenerative disorder that affects the white matter of the central nervous system (CNS).  Canine LEMP is characterized by slowly worsening gait abnormalities, especially spontaneous knuckling, dragging of the paws and hypermetria of the thoracic limbs, and a characteristic pattern on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). LEMP in Leonbergers is a partially penetrant autosomal recessive central nervous system disease resulting from an amino acid change within the LEMP gene.  All Leonbergers with confirmed LEMP have tested homozygous affected (D/D) for this mutation; however, not all dogs that are homozygous for this mutation show obvious clinical signs of disease within their lifetime. Clinical signs may develop as early as 1 year of age.